1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a distributing nozzle to transfer a certain amount of liquid sample from a sample cup into a reaction vessel in an automatic analyzing device for quantitative analyses of specified ingredients in the sample, e.g., serum or urine. More particularly, the invention relates to a distributing nozzle of the aforesaid type which is provided with a function of measuring ionic concentration of the sample.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An automatic analyzing device generally uses a sample-distributing unit with a distributing nozzle to transfer a certain amount of liquid sample, e.g., serum taken from a patient, from a sample cup to one or more reaction vessels moving along a predetermined path. A reagent distributor selectively transfers reagents from a plurality of reagent vessels into the reaction vessel or vessels to produce reacting solution or solutions, depending on desired item or items of analysis. The absorbancy of the reacting solution is measured by a colorimeter during the reaction or after completion of the reaction. In the automatic analyzing device of the aforesaid type, it has been contemplated these days to measure various ionic concentrations in the sample, in addition to the quantitative analyses of the specified ingredients in the sample. To this end, it has been proposed to dip an ionic sensor consisting of a reference electrode and a glass electrode into the sample either at the sample cup or at the reaction vessel before or after the transfer of the sample to the reaction vessel. The proposed means to measure the ionic concentration has shortcomings in that a separate measuring means of the ionic concentration must be provided, that a special mechanism is necessary to dip the reference electrode and the glass electrode of the ionic sensor in the sample at the sample cup or the reaction vessel, and that the analyzing device accordingly becomes complicated in construction and operation and its size tends to become large.